Structural and Thermal Analysis of Phenol-Modified Melamine–Formaldehyde Fibers via Wet Spinning

In this study, melamine resin was copolymerized and modified with phenol, and melamine–formaldehyde (MF) fibers were prepared through wet spinning and thermal curing. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, microscopic infrared analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectrography (XPS) analysis,[Citation1] ³C nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and mechanical property measurement were used to investigate the structure and properties of MF fibers. The results of the study showed that the mechanical strength of the fibers was improved due to the introduction of phenol which reduced the cross-linking between the triazine rings. Specifically, when the molar ratio of melamine-to-phenol was 1:0.8 and the curing temperature was 200 °C, the fibers exhibited a tensile strength of 270 MPa and an elongation at a break of 5.82%. Additionally, under a nitrogen atmosphere at 800 °C, the char yield of the cured fibers reached 40.55%.